Storm kills 4 people, injures several in war-torn Syria

A Syrian boy rides a bike adorned with a Syrian flag as Syrians families, who were displaced from east Aleppo, return to their homes in the Hanano district of eastern Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.

DAMASCUS — A storm in central Syria on Wednesday collapsed building walls in two villages, killing four people, including two children, a pro-government radio station reported.

The heavy winds forced Syrian authorities to close all ports on the Mediterranean Sea while in the war-torn country's rebel-held northwest, dozens of tents collapsed in settlements housing people displaced by Syria's 12-year conflict.

Along with collapsing walls, falling rocks and trees also injured several people in the northwest, said the opposition's Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets.

Sham FM radio station quoted Dr. Saleem Khallouf, the head of the National Hospital in the central city of Hama, as saying the four fatalities took place in the villages of Morek and Jibreen. He said the injured were being treated at the local hospital.

Hundreds of buildings and homes collapsed in the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria.